The HIV/AIDS pandemic continues to be a major health crisis facing the African American community.

The HIV/AIDS pandemic continues to be a major health crisis facing the African American community. Although African Americans make up sole about twelve percent of the U population, they accounted for half of the of the present day HIV infections reported in the United States in 2001 Numerous studies hint that many new infections arise among young African Americans. In the early 1980 HIV/AIDS was considered mainly a gay white male disease in the United States. Today, the pandemic has expanded and the disease is also a major health question in the African American community, where men and women of each age and sexual orientation are affected (http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/ pubs/Facts/afam.htm).

African American men account for forty three percent of HIV cases reported among men in 2001 Thirty couple percent of African American men who have sex with men were erect to be infected with HIV in a fresh multi-city study of men ages 23 to 29 years, compared to fourteen percent of Latinos and seven percent of whites in the study

While information onward recent HIV infection is limited, data reported to the Center for Disease rule (CDC) through 2001 suggest that the leading cause of HIV infection among African American men is sexual contact with other men followed by the agency of injection drug use and heterosexual contact.

African American women accounted for almost sixty four percent of HIV 1 cases reported among women in 2001 The rate of HIV infection among African American women ages 20 to 44 in 25 states with HIV reporting before 1994 was 801 by 100,000 population from 1994 to 1998--four times higher than the rates among Latinos of the same age, and more than 16 times higher than the rates among white women (CDC 2003)

Information is limited forward recent HIV infection, but available data refer to that the leading cause of HIV infection among African American women is heterosexual contact, followed on injection drug use.

A novel study by CDC of do job-work Corps entrants, ages 16 to 21 showed that, compared to their white counterparts, African American women were seven times more likely to be infected with HIV, and African American men were four times more likely to be infected.

Fourteen percent of young African American men who have sex with men were infected with HIV, almost four times the rate of their white in opposition to parts, in a five--year reflection of approximately 3,500 gay and bisexual men ages 15 to 22 in seven U cities between 1994-1998

In addition to experiencing historically higher rates of HIV infection, African Americans continue to face challenges in accessing health care, prevention services, and treatment.

According to CDC (2003) a studious mood of 9,113 patients in eleven U cities ground that HIV--infected African Americans were les likely than infected Whites to receive the life-enhancing anti-retroviral therapies for HIV.

African Americans are more likely to face challenges other than race and ethnicity in the HIV pandemic. The risk of HIV infection is prevalent, especially among the neediness stricken persons, denial and discrimination, partners at risk, and the other sexually transmitted disease connection.

Prevention is the first note of the scale to curtailing the HIV pandemic. CDC is committed to working with communities to

dull the spread of HIV among African Americans. Of the $744 million that CDC received for domestic HIV/ AIDS prevention in 2001 throughout 40 percent supported activities targeted to bring HIV/AIDS among African Americans. CDC is working in partnership with African American communities to make sure that appropriate HIV prevention programs are designed for and delivered to high--risk African Americans. CDC foundations hundreds of community--based organizations for HIV prevention programs to reach African Americans across the nation (CDC HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report, 2003)

...

Home